Articles
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Film
Beware the Schlock! Holiday movies (Hallmark Channel) Admittedly, I’m a sucker for bad movies and, it turns out, bad TV. Case in point: On Thanksgiving, as I settled back to digest the bird, I watched what turned out to be the most boring TV ever: a five-hour film...
by Michael Cimaomo | Dec 15, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music, Northeast Underground
This isn’t your parents’ best of list. To paraphrase Jimmy Fallon, “You know those awards they give out in high school yearbooks? Awards like Most Likely to Succeed, Class Clown, stuff like that?” Well, Northeast Underground is handing out its own superlatives this...
by Chris Rohmann | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Winter is drawing in and I’m looking back on the many shows I’ve seen this year. Some have been naughty, most have been nice, and a few are getting lumps of coal from this reviewer. So here are my virtual awards — let’s call them “The StageStruckies”...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Scene Here
AMANDA DRANE PHOTO At Price Rite in Chicopee on a recent Thursday afternoon, the rally is in action. A man wearing a vest with Bernie Sanders buttons and Jobs with Justice pins approaches my car. I roll down the window at his polite but persistent behest. He hands me...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Stage
An old miser eats some strange cheese and gets visited by four ghosts: his dead business partner and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. They cajole, guilt and scare him into being less of a stingy crank to his family and employee. And it works. Ebenezer...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 14, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music
Elvis isn’t dead, he’s been hanging with Santa at the North Pole. On Saturday the Florence VFW is hosting an all-ages yuletide shindig featuring Lord Elvis, Johnny Memphis Band, Court Etiquette, and Christmas karaoke. Flo Ho Ho — Elvis Meets Santa: 12/19 at 7 p.m. $5,...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze
If you’ve ever worked in restaurants, you probably know that vegan is a five-letter-word often unwelcome among chefs. But veganism is gaining steam. A recent World Health Organization study disappointed bacon-lovers everywhere when it reported an 18 percent increase...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze, Madame Barfly
Some of us don’t get out much. I’m lookin’ at you, worshiper of the porcelain goddess. You look like you could use some help. Most adults have learned how to hold their liquor, while others of all ages are still learning. Plus, braving the crowds isn’t always easy....
by Gary Carra | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Music, Nightcrawler
Gathering of the Vibes founder Ken Hayes recently announced that after achieving 20 years and record breaking attendance this past summer, he has decided to take 2016 off. “This is not the end my friends,” he wrote in an open, online letter to the Vibe Tribe. “It’s...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Leisure
Local Red and White Wines BLACK BIRCH VINEYARD, SOUTHAMPTON Black Birch Vineyard has made award-winning wines since 2012, including Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We’re off-season for a tour, but the vineyard sells bottles throughout the...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts
There’s a lot of dick in the world, but it’s not always celebrated. The Taber Art Gallery is fixing that this month with a photography exhibit exclusively dedicated to dick. The show is a collection of photographs compiled by Easthampton’s Stacy Waldman, a collector...
by Chris Rohmann | Dec 10, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Looking back on the 100-plus theater productions I’ve seen this year, I’ve noticed how many of them fall into pairs of various kinds. In my next column I’ll be handing out awards for the year’s best—and worst—productions and performances. But first, let’s take a look...
by Jack Brown | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Film
As I sit down to write this column, the calendar is teetering on the edge of December. Thanksgiving may have been unseasonably balmy, but today was the first day all season that I left the house and immediately turned back to put on another layer. When I got back, I...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines
Puerto Rico is $72 billion in the hole and struggling to pay loans leaders took out to keep their nation afloat. Meanwhile, hedge funds and bond firms are throwing their hands up in the air and filing lawsuits against the island nation. As if this were not foreseen by...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Missed connection in Paris Before the horrendous Paris attacks happened, before we were shocked once again by the brutality and scale of modern day terrorism, there was another story that came out. CNN as well as ABC News reported that a U.S. drone strike had possibly...
by Warren Johnston | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze, The Pour Man
Picking a wine for a holiday feast can be a bit tricky, and many wine experts are reluctant to select one universal wine to go with the meal. The problem is winter celebrations offer a cornucopia overflowing with tastes, flavors and smells that can overwhelm many...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, The V-Spot
Dear Yana, What do you do when a DTR conversation doesn’t go your way? I’m a modern babe who’s Slutever Forever. I’m into my generation’s DTF hook-up culture, but I also want to respect my boundaries, my body, and my feelings. What do you do when you tell the guy...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts
Christmas time is known for bringing out the best in people, unfortunately it often brings out the worst from our closets. So, this week the East Mount Country Club is holding a party and contest dedicated to the oft-mocked holiday attire: the Christmas sweater....
by Gary Carra | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Music, Nightcrawler
By definition, alchemy is a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of base metals into gold. Whether it be with the band the Alchemystics band he co-founded back in 2003, the band Bay Rd he inspired while working at...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music
When rock guitars meet punk riffs and reggae soul you get Danny Pease and The Regulators with The Hornitz. Check out their music which has strong roots in reggae and ska rhythms. The Hornitz is a human beatbox — so, that’s pretty cool — but there will also be horns,...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music
Tom Hooper’s 2012 film adaptation of the iconic musical Les Misérables left many viewers with mixed feelings. Hugh Jackman’s big sideburns? Revolutionary. Russell Crowe’s singing? Misérable. Fortunately, there’s a fresh way to dive into Claude-Michel Schönberg’s...
by Chuck Shepherd | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, News of the Weird
After certain takeoffs and landings were delayed on Nov. 7 at Paris’ Orly airport (several days before the terrorist attacks), a back trace on the problem forced the airport to disclose that its crucial “DECOR” computer system still runs on Windows 3.1 software —...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 9, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Get Out With Staff Picks
Four-band punk rock show • Tuesday Big Ups to Perfect Pussy, Honeysuck, and your Demonbrother, too. Flywheel Arts Collective in Easthampton, 7:30 p.m. $10 before; $12 at the door. (413) 527-9800. — Amanda Drane, adrane@valleyadvocate.com Jingle Jam, rock’n’roll...
by Amanda Drane | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music, Scene Here
AMANDA DRANE PHOTO Outside the Nest, a house/underground music venue on a side street off Belchertown Road in Amherst, a cloud of smokers greet me. I follow the train of people kicking off their boots and shoes at the bottom of the basement stairs where a living room...
by Hunter Styles | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music
It’s well-nigh impossible for music critics to describe James McMurtry’s three decades of songwriting without using the word “Americana.” That’s because it’s hard to think of a musician better able to craft albums that employ roots rock, folk, country, and blues in...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Film, News
When it comes to a homegrown film industry, the Pioneer Valley is hardly Los Angeles, New York, or Boston. But this area is brimming with creative people, and as cameras and film tech become ever more cheap and accessible, young talent is coming up alongside...
by Kristin Palpini | Dec 7, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music, Stage
The wind gets cold, the winter holidays draw near, and Pioneer Valley Ballet presents its annual performance of the Nutcracker ballet. The Nutcracker is the classic tail of a weirdo godfather bestowing gifts on wealthy kids at a party. One of the toys, a nutcracker,...
by Chris Rohmann | Dec 6, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Stage, Stagestruck
Here’s the thing about theater: It brings performers and spectators together in a mutual act of imagination – and the simpler the stage, the greater the imaginative act. The lush British costume dramas that come to our TV and movie screens are essentially Classics...
by Hunter Styles, Advocate Staff | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze
Can we talk about smoothies for a minute? Not milkshakes — ice cream is a topic for another delicious food column. And I’m not including protein shakes, although those are the only reason I go to the gym. I’m just talking about smoothies — that sublime blend of milk...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music, Stage
Super Troupe Pilobolus Dance Theatre has been praised with innumerable adjectives over its 34-year history: endearing, emotional, witty, hilarious, colorful — and my favorite, from The Los Angeles Times: “physically awesome.” Founded in 1971 by Dartmouth College...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Arts
Northampton artist Larry Rankin is sharing photography from his trips to Tanzania featuring shots of animals, landscapes, and local life. A Taste of Tanzania, through Dec. 30, Amherst Chamber of Commerce, 28 Amity St., Amherst.
by Jack Brown | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Cinemadope, Columns, Film
It’s hard to imagine, sometimes, that Jennifer Lawrence’s first listed credit on IMDb — “Mascot” on a 2006 episode of the TV series Monk, by the way — is less than 10 years old. The Kentucky-born actress, still just 25 today, has had a meteoric rise, with her mix of...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Astrology, Wellness
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Persian scholar Avicenna was so well-rounded in his knowledge that he wrote two different encyclopedias. Even as a teenager he was obsessed with learning all he could. He got especially consumed with trying to master Aristotle’s...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot, Wellness
Hey Yana, I recently started reading your sex column, and it’s really great! There are sooooo many questions I had floating around in my mind about sex, because they don’t really talk about lesbians that much (ahem, at all) in sex ed. My problem is this: I recently...
by Debra Scherban | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Wellness
Dueling guidelines from national health organizations about breast cancer screening may be confusing patients, but doctors from three area hospitals say that the science driving when to begin tests is imprecise. Patients and doctors should decide among themselves...
by Advocate Staff | Dec 2, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Get Out With Staff Picks, Music
The Demse Legacy • Sunday About six months ago, beloved Valley reggae band The Alchemystics lost leader Demse Zullo and roadie Brian “Budzy” White in a car accident. While coping with their loss, the band surged ahead into festival season. Now, they’re taking a minute...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, News
For some reason, Chicopee is often overlooked by people looking to cut lose on the weekend or after work, or in the afternoon, or — you get the idea, we all have our own party schedules. Here’s some reasons to head over to Chicopee, a city we love: Polish Food: A...
by Amanda Drane | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Columns, Third Eye Roaming, Wellness
Yoga instructor and studio owner Tea Musketaquid ends today’s yoga and lunch class with a smile-asana. “Now carry that posture with you throughout the day,” he tells me and two other students. Walking into the windowless room in the middle of the day, with its mood...
by Amanda Drane | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, News
Monte Belmonte could have been an Olympic speed walker if he hadn’t become one of the Valley’s most recognizable radio personalities. Or at least that’s how it feels as I huff and puff trying to keep up with him. Dressed in his cerulean blue suit — complete with his...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, News
The “Be a Local Hero” or “Shero” slogan is a too hyperbolic for me, but below the schmaltz there’s some truth to it. The small action of buying local goods and services strengthens hometowns in ways that big box stores and corporate businesses can’t: more local jobs...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Facebook: Is Agawam HS’ team name offensive? Editor’s note: The below comments were left on the Advocate’s Facebook page in response to a guest column, “These Brownies Have Got to Go” Nov. 19-25, 2015. George Green: Where did these two writers get their information,...
by Chuck Shepherd | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, News, News of the Weird
The manager of the agency in Louisville, Kentucky that is responsible for, among other things, development planning, zoning changes and historic landmarks revealed in November that his headquarters has a “boogers” problem and ordered users of the third-floor men’s...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 30, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music
It’s fitting that the album art for Kindling’s new Galaxies EP shows a color-tinted lunar landscape, because this four-track collection lifts off with a boom and a shockwave, like a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral. From the first moment of play, singer and band...
by Hunter Styles | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze, The Beerhunter
I drive until I lose cell service, then I keep driving. Downtown Colrain falls away behind me as I follow the North River up into the wooded hills. I park my car on a quiet road, two miles from the Vermont border, at Justin Korby’s house. Colrain’s small population is...
by Hunter Styles | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze
The meal subscription service is flavorful, but flawed The box arrived on my front porch at sunset, stamped with the Blue Apron logo. I carried it into the kitchen, where I set it down with a heavy thud. I order a lot online, so it didn’t strike me as odd to cut open...
by Gary Carra | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Columns, Music, Nightcrawler
What was supposed to be a triumphant new chapter in a prolific career turned tragic. Then a tribute. For more than two decades, Keith Hopkinson’s howl could be heard soaring over such circuit regulars as The Smacktones and Black Cat Frenzy. On Friday, Nov. 20, his...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles
Amherst’s Matt Lorenz is a throat-singing, slide guitar playing one-man-band who specializes in what he calls “swamp-yankee” music. Lorenz blends traditional musical sounds with new tones manufactured from objects. He’s got two shows coming up at Signature Sounds with...
by Hunter Styles | Photos by Dan Little | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Music
Surrounded by bodies, soaked in sweat and blasted with music, it’s easy to let go and just dance. If you’re not a denizen of the club scene (or if it’s been a few decades), glance at the faces and free-flowing forms of the dancers we photographed on a recent Saturday...
by Yana Tallon-Hicks | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Columns, The V-Spot, Wellness
Hi Yana, I’m a 26-year-old female with HPV and a high sex drive. Ever since my diagnosis I haven’t been able to have a lasting romantic or sexual relationship because I’m too scared to open up about this. I’ve told my closest friends because I want them to know that...
by Amanda Drane | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Music, News
Roster changes in the musical line up at the Waterfront Tavern in Holyoke fueled rumors about the establishment that were spreading across the Internet like a celebrity nip slip last week. Three metal/rock shows slated for December were cancelled at the Waterfront,...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 25, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Get Out With Staff Picks, Music
DJ Studebaker Hawk • Saturday Let’s face it — Thursday and Friday night’s activities (and workouts) will likely be lost to a tryptophan-induced food coma. Turkey dinners will become leftover turkey sandwiches for lunch and come 8 p.m. Friday evening it will be a...
by Padraig Shea and Timothy Shea | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, News
One cannot concoct these Brownies. The Agawam High School Brownies mix equal parts lame nickname and racist logo. If you haven’t seen it, imagine the NFL’s Washington team helmets, with the chief’s headdress spelling “A-G-A-W-A-M.” These ingredients are less potent...
by From Our Readers | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Letters from our Readers, News
Getting away with rape Editor’s note: This letter is in response to “Owen Labrie, rapist or simply a jerk?” Nov. 19, 2015, an editorial in which editors Kristin Palpini and Jeffrey Good wrote about their interpretations of the sexual assault verdict. Good says Labrie...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 24, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, Local Elections 2015, News
The voter turnout rate in the Valley this past election was dismal — just as it was across the nation. There’s been a lot of hand wringing over the apathetic American voter over the years, but laying this problem at the feet of an allegedly uncaring public is a...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Arts, Film
On Saturday, the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will host its annual post-Thanksgiving screening of The Wizard of Oz. Since everyone knows the intimate details of this classic, I’m just going to drop a couple of our favorite quotes from the movie: • Dorothy: How do...
by Advocate Staff | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Arts, News, Scene Here
The Smith College Campus Center, a futuristic white building that rises over the campus like a spaceship, is full today. Where students usually walk through a mostly empty atrium, today almost every inch is packed, students and community members sprawling over floor...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, Astrology, Wellness
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange,” wrote novelist Carson McCullers. “As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.” I’m guessing that these days you’re...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 16, 2015 | Articles, Between the Lines, Featured, News
Editor’s note: Editors Kristin Palpini and Jeff Good couldn’t come to an agreement on how to interpret the Labrie decisions, so they wrote their own opinion pieces. Jeffrey Good: There is no doubt that Owen Labrie was guilty of being an oaf, a striver and...
by Warren Johnston | Nov 16, 2015 | Articles, Food + Booze, The Pour Man
There’s a theory about pairing food and wine that’s pretty simple — just drink wine with food from the region where it is produced. That sort of terroir approach is fine for wines from some other parts of the world, but not so much the United States, where our food is...
by Kristin Palpini | Nov 23, 2015 | Articles, News
Fact: Global average temperatures have increased more than 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 100 years. Changing the average global temperature by even a degree or two leads to serious consequences on Earth. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,...
